Patricia Nute Dies

Was News Librarian At The Courant

April 18, 2002

Patricia A. Nute, an information specialist in The Courant's news library, died suddenly Tuesday at Rockville General Hospital of an undetermined cause. She was 50.

Nute, a Vernon resident, came to The Courant in 1981, spending all 21 years of her tenure in the news library. While there, she saw news archiving evolve from paper clippings to an electronic database.

FOR THE RECORD - Correction published December 13, 2002.The name of My Sisters' Place, a shelter in Hartford, was incorrectly spelled My Sister's Place in a story on Page B3 in some editions Thursday, and in various previous stories in The Courant.

``All who knew Patti Nute can testify to her strong spirit, sunny disposition and sense of professionalism,'' said her supervisor, library director Kathy McKula.

A Rhode Island native, Nute was known among her colleagues for her love of cats, clam chowder, Bob Dylan and her native state.

She was a regular contributor of cookies and cakes to My Sister's Place, a shelter for homeless women in Hartford's North End. ``She had a genuine compassion for those who are less fortunate,'' said Bill Williams, a Courant editor and colleague.

Nute graduated from Rhode Island College in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and history. Before coming to The Courant, she worked at the Homer Babbidge Library at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

A funeral is scheduled for Monday at the Winfield & Sons Funeral Home in Scituate, R.I.